“SON, brother, father, lover, friend. There is room in the heart for all the affections, as there is room in heaven for all the stars (Victor Hugo).” This place aptly cherishes my friend, Florante Badilla Evasco (b. 1946).
Florante, the brother of cabinet secretary Leoncio Evasco, hailed from Maribojoc, Bohol. He grew up as a sociable and playful child of a farmer and a nurse; yet his strict parents also imposed discipline. He recalls that his brother, Leoncio, was also gregarious and playful, the reason their parents transferred his brother to Saint Vincent at Maribojoc from Holy Name University. Both his two sisters–Laura and Maridel–were nurses: the former, a product of Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital; the latter, an alumna of Cebu Doctors Hospital.
Florante finished his elementary in his hometown. He could have gone to Bohol School of Arts and Trades (BSAT) immediately after elementary, but since the admission required one to be 13 years old, he enrolled for one year at Saint Vincent, then finished high school at BSAT.
“Our parents emphasized industry,” Florante averred, “that is why all of us have become successful.” He and his siblings developed a good study habit and work ethics.
Florante appreciates his days at BSAT. The school trains students to become proficient in technical skills like carpentry, plumbing, electrical repairs and installations, among others. He studied there because besides the emphasis of the school, his uncle, Florentino Evasco–who used to be a teacher, and later, a principal of the academia —influenced his parents. “I did not think what I would become when I went to BSAT,” he said, “but I was thankful for the skills I learned.”
When it was time to choose a course in college, a diagnostic test showed Florante’s inclination to the teaching profession. There were no communication technology courses at that time. Courses on-demand used to be related to education and engineering. About agriculture because his family had a farm: it could be an option for him, but job opportunities were rare. So, he took a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education at Cebu School of Arts and Trades.
“Teaching is interesting,” Florante added, “because one is dealing with the young who must develop their character and attitude.” “Enjoyable because I meet people from different social classes and it is challenging,” he stressed. He was prioritized in selection when he applied for a teaching job because of his technical field. The brother of cabinet secretary had taught for ten years, then became a head teacher for two years, a principal for almost ten years, and later served as DepEd supervisor for eight years until his retirement.
About how he was promoted: he pointed that it was based on one’s experience and achievements like trainings and seminars attended, and management and leadership skills—unlike the current system where one can just take a test for the higher position.
Florante got an offer for a position after his supervisory work in Maribojoc, but he refused it when he entered politics. He ran for a Sanguniang Bayan post at his hometown and became a municipal councilor for two terms (2010 to 2016).
Marriage is usually a choice for one who wants to establish a family. Florante’s main consideration in choosing a wife was being in the same institution and profession. This could be his view: that marriage is a partnership of equals, with neither exercising authority over the other, but, rather, with each encouraging and helping the other in whatever responsibilities and dreams he or she might have.
Florante once thought of a town-mate fiancé who wanted to go to the US—but a place he did not want to go at that time. So, in 1975, he married Inocencia Dominguez Evasco–a colleague at Cogon Elementary school.
Florante and Inocencia are blessed with two children: Dr. Elva Evasco-Auza, married to Engr. Jerome Auza; and Eldred Evasco whose wife is Miechell Enad Evasco.
As the brother of cabinet secretary, Leoncio, Florante revealed that he encountered difficulties in handling people who seek audience with his brother. However, knowing how his brother thinks, he screens the kind of issue a person brings and decides if it merits an audience.
As a provider for his family, Florante’s meager salary during the Martial Law years was not a hindrance to fulfilling this role. He and his wife did not rely on debts as many did; they had a passive income from the copra and rice from their farm which supplied for the family. When he supported for his daughter’s medical course, however, he and his wife had programmed a loan scheme until she finished.
“There are many children whose fathers are less affectionate,” he said. “Sometimes, that happened because of my work. Children need affection.” But Florante, as a father, is more than a thousand schoolmasters. Karen Boyer’s poem for a dad fits him:
He never looks for praises…
He just goes on quietly working
For those he loves the most
lucelllarawan 
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